eCommunicator - Summer 2019

Journal of 32 Signal Regiment eCommunicator

Volume 19, Number 1 http://www.torontosignals.ca/

In this issue of the eCommunicator

Change of RCCS Beret Pg 17 Commanding Officer’s Parade Pg 16

New Unit Crest Pg 19 Junior Ranks Formal Pg 13 Table of Content About the eCommunicator

3 CO’s Message This is a limited domestic publication produced with 4 RSM’s Message the permission of the Commanding Officer for the purpose of recording the activities within the 5 Honouraries Message Regiment and the Regimental family. It is intended 7 Padre to provide a wide variety of material relating to military communications and military affairs, both Features at home and abroad. 8 Awards and Promotions The views and opinions expressed in this periodical 10 DWD — Warrant Officer Lee Whalen, CD are those of the contributors and not those of the 12 Associates Dinner Department of National Defence, its Units or 13 Junior Ranks Formal Officers, including the Commanding Officer of 32 15 CAF National Women’s Volleyball Championship Signal Regiment. 16 CO’s Parade The editor and publisher are responsible for the 17 Change of Beret Parade production of the eCommunicator but not for the 18 Garrison Ball accuracy, timeliness or description of written and 19 New Unit Crest graphical material published therein. 19 Royal Canadian Logistics Service Branch and RCEME Corps The editor reserves the right to modify or re-format 20 Technology Topic: Software-Defined Radio (SDR) material received, within reason, in order to make 22 709 Signals Army Cadet Corps best use of available space, appearance and layout. 24 2250 The Muskoka Pioneers RCACC 25 142 Mimico Determination Squadron 32 Signal Regiment 27 Jimmy and Associates 28 Vintage Signals Team: Signals In The First World War Commanding Officer: 35 Last Post LCol Alfred Lai, CD 36 Letters to the Editor Regimental Sergeant Major: CWO Steve Graham, CD

Honorary Colonel: HCol Jim Leech, C.M.

Honorary Lt Colonel: The eCommunicator HLCol Ken Lloyd, CD M.A. Delivered to your Computer eCommunicator

You can now download a personal copy of the Editor: eCommunicator to your device. You can also find back WO Richard Lacroix, CD issues to complete your library. Simply click or copy the link below and paste it in your browser’s address bar. Proofreader: Heather McClory

http://www.torontosignals.ca/ Unit Historian: LCol Jack Lee, CD (Ret’d)

How to Contact Us

Comments or submissions can be sent to For more signals related information [email protected] http://www.torontosignals.ca/ http://www.hamiltonsignals.com/ Toronto http://www.29thdivisionassociation.com/ Canadian Forces Armoury Fort York http://www.rcsigs.ca/ 660 Fleet Street West Toronto, ON http://www.army-armee.forces.gc.ca/en/32-signal-regiment/index.page M5V 1A9

CFB Borden 61 Ramillies Road CFB Borden Borden, ON L0M 1C0

Publication Date: Summer 2019

© No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s written consent. Command Team Commanding Officer’s Message

The old adage says, “Time flies!” and it is very true in my case. When LCol (Retired) Jack Lee reminded me that the next issue of the eCommuicator will be out soon, I checked the calendar and it is more than a year since I have taken over as the Commanding Officer!

Looking back, I can honestly say we as a Regiment have accomplished a lot. First and foremost, I must mention our contributions to OPERATION LENTUS, the Canadian Armed Forces’ assistance in the flooding areas this April and May.

32 Signal Regiment contributed a total of 28 personnel in rotation to 32 Territorial Battalion Group (32 CBG) for this operation. Our signallers of all ranks did a magnificent job. On top of providing and operating the command and control facilities, our personnel filled in the critical roles as the Operations Officer, the TBG Signals Officer, the Signal Platoon Commander, the Logistics Group Commander as well as the 32 CBT S1. It was truly a “Noble job, splendidly done”; helping fellow Canadians at their most vulnerable.

Throughout this training year, the Regiment continued to complete all taskings to support 32 Canadian Brigade Group as well as taskings as far away as Gagetown and the Arctic. On occasions, we have had personnel support three exercises concurrently.

We have been taking advantage of the recruiting drive. Through the efforts of the recruiting team we have over 40 new members joining us this year. Well done!

As for individual training, our personnel continued to take time off to attend trade and career courses. We have set a new record of having three Captains attending the Army Operations Course (AOC). I look forward to the return of all our NCMs and officers with newly acquired knowledge and skills to build depth into the capabilities of our Regiment.

Through our Honorary Colonel and Honorary Lieutenant Colonel, we have revitalized our efforts in completing our Regimental History book project. We are now having Warrant Officer (Retired) Renny MacKinnon, who is an accomplished and published writer, to lead this project. We look forward to having our Regimental History published in 2020. We are still collecting historical information, photographs and personal stories for the book, so please send them in!

Our close associate and Regimental Family member, the Vintage Signals Team (VST), has been taking the Regiment’s name to all the events they participated in, extending our community footprint. Thank you very much!

In order to be able to serve our current and past members more effectively, a project to consolidate our various associations into a Regimental Association has been launched. We are soliciting new ideas to be incorporated in order to achieve our goal.

Looking to the future, I look forward to receiving our Royal Blue berets on the 15th of June. This piece of new headdress is giving Signallers a new distinct identity for the future.

Staying with the future, I am glad to report that 32 Signal Regiment have been given the task as the “Lead Unit” to provide the Cyber capability within 4 Canadian Division. No doubt there will be challenges but also triumphs in taking on this vital role. Judging by the strength in our members, 32 Signal Regiment will embark on this exciting journey as a strong team!

eCommunicator | 3 Command Team Regimental Sergeant-Major

Good day to all.

It’s been another very exciting and busy period since the last edition of the eCommunicator. 32 Signal Regiment has the highest tempo of all the 32 Brigade units. To date, you have never failed or let your leadership down. On top of weekly parade nights and our own weekend IBTS exercises, your services are being requested almost every weekend. And your efforts and skills do not go unnoticed. The Commanding Officer routinely receives e- mails from other COs passing on kudos for your excellent job. Somehow with the heavy workload and dwindling resources and equipment, you get the job done beyond expectations. If I have not had the opportunity to say it to you personally, thank-you for what you do. I am proud of the hard work you put in and extremely proud to be your RSM. On top of everything there was also FTSE, Summer Concentration, Trade and Career Courses and if that wasn’t enough OP LENTUS which saw a total of 24 personnel deploy during the Op. That said, please be cognisant of your health. Everyone needs a break and if you reach that point, please take some time or bring it to the attention of your chain of command. On that note there are a number of Apps that are available for free download which could help you or others; “Respect in the CAF”, “R2MR” (Road to Mental Readiness) and the “CFB-BFC Borden” App to name a few.

Growth within the Pres units has been amazing. Our recruiters have done a great job showcasing the Regiment and with the Co-Op program running for the fourth year, we have grown and continue to grow. With growth there comes loss. Some quit before the end of BMQ or BMQ L once they figure out that this is not for them. Others release for family or career decisions. And there are those who transfer to the Regular Force and continue on to a fabulous full time career as a soldier. One such success story is Cpl Laffier who CT’ed to the Regular Force as Military Police. After a five month course he graduated and was presented his MP Badge and credentials. The CO and I had the privilege to attend his graduation parade. He had one of the highest academic averages of his course and is posted to CFB Petawawa.

“What Manner Of Men Are These That Wear The Maroon Beret?

They are firstly all volunteers and are toughened by physical training…Of all the factors, which make for success in battle, the spirit of the warrior is the most decisive. That spirit will be found in full measure in the men who wear the maroon beret”.

Another loss for 32 Signal Regiment was a gain for the Queens Own Rifles of Canada. MCpl Jackie Mao took an attached posting to the QOR. He is now entitled to wear the white jump wings on his uniform and I had the privilege to present him his maroon beret after his first jump with the QOR in his new position. Now instead of arriving on a bus he jumps in on exercise, not only with his kit and rifle but also with a radio.

I know there are a number of members in the Regiment who have requested the Basic Parachute Course. For those who are interested, you need to ensure I know who you are as well as complete the Basic Para pre-PT test conducted by the QOR. This test is as follows:

· 1600 m run in 7:30 minutes or less; · 7 consecutive straight arm chin-ups; and · 31 consecutive bent knee sit-ups.

eCommunicator | 4 As there are a high number of soldiers interested in the course this is a completive process and you need to do your max. You should continue to train and attend a number of testing events to improve your times/scores.

Change is coming. Everything old is new again. From the switch from green to Royal blue berets and the change from ACISS back to three distinct trades; 00383 – Signal Operator, 00384 – Line Technician and 00385 Signal Technician, it is an exciting time to be a Signaller. Congratulations to those who have earned promotions, completed career courses and received CDs and commissioning scrolls; good luck to everyone heading out on courses and tasks over the summer. Remember to take some time for yourself to recharge the batteries and get ready for another busy fall.

VVV

CWO S.G. Graham RSM

Honorary Colonel Jim Leech, C.M.

Spring is always an exciting time, signifying renewal and setting the direction for the balance of the year.

Every spring, two events occur “behind the scenes” – often invisible to most members of our Regimental family, but with far reaching impact:

SHE Bursary Awards

The SHE Bursary Fund was established in 2014 by friends and colleagues of former HCol Sally Horsfall Eaton. Any member of the Regiment is eligible to apply for financial assistance with his/her post- secondary education. Over the past five years, a total of $41,200 has been awarded to 33 serving soldiers. The SHE Bursary Committee met in early May to review this year’s applications and approved an additional $15,500 to be awarded to the following soldiers: Pte Jessica Alfonso; Cpl Christopher Bright; Cpl Anatoly Gelman; Signalman Rudrendu Gupta; Pte William Heard; Cpl Mark Kim; MCpl Felix Kwan; Signalman Daniel Liu; Cpl Alex Plawiuk; and Cpl Damien Turner.

Congratulations to all. It was a strong, competitive field this year.

Regimental Advisory Council Annual Meeting

At our Regimental Advisory Council meeting, it was reported that, again, our annual fundraising exceeded $50,000 and at 2018 yearend our fund balances were: SHE - $179,000; and General Fund - $145,000. So, we are in a strong financial position although our annual fundraising is highly dependant on a very small handful of donors — we must endeavour to expand our fundraising reach in order to ensure sustainability.

At the meeting, the Council made two significant determinations:

· A total of $39,000 was granted to the following Regimental Family member organizations: à 32 Signal Regiment - $15,000 (incl funds for two soldiers to attend Liberation of Holland Ceremonies in the Netherlands) à Vintage Signals Team - $ 9,000 à Affiliated Cadet Corps - $ 6,000 à Regimental Book - $ 5,000 à Toronto Signals Band - $ 4,000

eCommunicator | 5 · A Task Force was struck, under the chairmanship of HLCol Lloyd, to consider a possible reorganization of Regimental family member groups to ensure sustainability and strengthen the relationship with our Regiment and soldiers. The goal is to have the Task Force complete its work by this fall for consideration at the May 2020 meeting. Anyone wishing to help out with this study should contact HLCol Lloyd directly.

I look forward to joining the Regiment and all members of our family in mid-June for the change in our head dress parade and summer BBQ. I trust everyone will join us for that celebration.

HCol Jim Leech CM

Honorary Lieutenant Colonel Ken Lloyd, CD, M.A.

This past year was the anniversary of the Armistice of 1918. This was a time of change with empires disappearing, Revolutions and innovations transformed the technology of communications. For the Vintage Signals Team this meant sharing our Signals story at over 60 events and displays culminating at the Canadian National Exhibition with 32 Brigade; at Fort York with 32 Sigs; at the Ruthven National Site and Berlin in Germany. This year D-Day is a firm focus for the new code breaking workshops at the Hamilton Military Museum and in Davos, Switzerland. The VST is taking the name of Canadian Signals into new communities. New favourites are two presentations “Deceitful D-Day” and “U-Boat Wars’. Both focus on the unknown Signals stories of Operation Fortitude, Operation Neptune and the battle of bravery and technology in the Atlantic.

With the new recruiting impetus the CO asked if the Hon Col and I could help with the assimilation of the new officers into the Regiment. The CO arranged an intensive training day covering our history and Divisional, Brigade and Unit structure. I had the pleasure of presenting mess etiquette and Vintage Signals. Capt Carter provided a fine port to practice the art of toasting and Capt Briggs gave a detailed overview of our unit history. A valuable and worthwhile day.

The Junior ranks chose the inspiring venue of the Staff College for their Gala Ball on 30th March. The VST was there providing lots of opportunities for budding telegraphists to practice their skills and for future cipher czars to enjoy the pleasure of monoalphabetic substitution cipher before dinner. What more can any budding signaler desire? A thoroughly enjoyable evening. Well done Cpl Chris Bright and his team.

The Regimental book took a new breath with the Hon Col chairing a Book Committee meeting in which Renny McKinnon, the Treasurer of the Advisory Council, a retired member of 709 and a published author agreed to become the executive editor for the project. With an aggressive schedule Renny hopes to have the book ready for the end of the year. Best wishes to Renny.

The Regimental Advisory Council agreed to establish a Working Group to propose changes to the Council for the first time since Colonels Catto and Watson wrote its incorporation in the 1960’s and Col Sally Horsfall-Eaton set up the SHE Bursary Fund. The Working Group aims to provide Associate groups with improved representation; to adopt non operational secondary duties from the serving Regiment and

eCommunicator | 6 provide separation from the funding and the Executive. The proposals from the Working Group will be important for our future growth as a Regimental family. We are looking for members to join the Working Group. The Hon Col asked that I chair the group. LCol (Ret’d) Shannon Regan, LCol (Ret’d) Jack Lee, Maj (Ret’d) Hal Buller and CWO (Ret’d) Alison Perry have brought a broad spread of experience. We still seek members who can reflect the interests in the Regimental family or have experience in governance. Please contact me at [email protected].

The C&E Branch has invited the regiment to be part of the Family and Governance Working Group for the Branch. Among the concerns are the changes in the demography of the Signals community. The Branch asked for an Honorary to sit on the Working Group and HCol Leach asked if I would represent the Regiment as his brother already serves in the committee. More to follow. If you have thoughts about improving the Signals Family, please let me know.

Padre’s Corner Padre Captain Audrey Brown on EX Op Boxtop | by Captain Audrey Brown

I am on Operation Boxtop in Thule for two weeks hoping to get to hop over to Alert for the weekend.

Better accommodations than Army. Good food too.

The mix of civilian and kit is allowed as per op order (so long as the rank is turned around and easily seen).

eCommunicator | 7 From the Regiment Awards and Promotions

CD 2 — Capt Roger Caron, CD CD 2 — CWO Steve Graham, CD CD 1 — Capt Shaath, CD

CD 1 — MWO Roman Santos, CD CD 1 — WO Gary Ben, CD CD — MCpl Arikan, CD

CD — Cpl Bassan, CD CD — Cpl Percival, CD CD — Cpl Wong, CD

Promotion — Lt Rankin

eCommunicator | 8 From the Regiment Awards and Promotions

Sergeant Brittany Speers joined the Canadian Armed Forces on 15 Feb 2007 as an RMS Clerk. She transferred to 32 Signal Regiment det Borden in 2014 and into a Class B position. Since she has been in the Unit, she has been promoted to MCpl, changed trades to HRA, completed her Driver Wheel and QL6 course, and been promoted to Sgt. She worked as the sole Class B in the Borden OR as the OR IC handling 50-80 members’ pay and administration for 4 years as well as assisting Toronto when required. Sgt Speers has recently taken on the role of Acting Chief Administrator and has been working out of both Fort York Armoury and CFB Borden. She has worked hard in reorganizing the administrative processes within the Unit to ensure the best efficiency possible. She has also completed interviews and filled the staffing position within the OR. She took on partial roles and responsibilities of the Adjt while he was away on parental leave to ensure administration did not fall behind and reports were submitted in a timely manner. She continues to work with the members of the Unit to ensure everyone is supported by the OR for their specific needs, while ensuring that policy and procedures are maintained.

Sgt. Speers is this year’s recipient of the CO’s Award.

Mr. David Douglas

2019 SHE Bursaries

The Selection Committee met has awarded 10 bursaries as follows:

MCpl Felix Kwan Cpl Alex Plawiuk MCpl Damien Turner Signalman Rudrendu Gupta Cpl Christopher Bright Signalman Daniel Liu Cpl Anatoly Gelman Pte Jessica Alfonso Cpl Mark Kim Pte William Heard

The intention is to distribute cheques on June 15 at the Beret Ceremony (or BBQ following the parade).

eCommunicator | 9 From the Regiment DWD — Warrant Officer Lee Whalen, CD Borden Ontario | March 28th, 2019

WO Officer Lee Whalen CD (Retired) joined the Canadian Armed Forces in March of 1983 as part of the Youth Training Employment Program. He completed boot camp training in Cornwallis Nova Scotia that year before undergoing his Driver Training at CFB Borden. He completed his QL 3 Trades Training at CFB Kingston in 1994 before going on a hiatus from the military. Pte Whalen subsequently rejoined the Canadian Military on 01 April 1989 and once again completed his trades training at CFSCE, CFB Kingston that year.

He was subsequently posted to 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, Calgary Alberta as a Radio Operator working as a dispatch rider and attached to the Command post while on exercise. From 25 Apr - 25 Oct 1993, Cpl Whalen was on tour in Primosten, Croatia as part of Op Mandarin.

Upon returning to Canada, Cpl Whalen was posted to 1 Combat Engineer Regiment in Chilliwack, B.C. where he worked in the Signals Detachment. During the Apr - May 1997 period, Cpl Whalen deployed to Winnipeg, Manitoba to assist with the flood relief along the Red River working in the CP to help co- ordinate this effort. His next tour would take him to the Golan Heights as part of the UN Disengagement Observation Force (UNDOF) which sought to supervise the cease-fire between Israel and Syria. He was employed in the CP as a switchboard operator there from 22 Nov 1997 to 01 Jun 1998.

Back to Canada for more training, MCpl Whalen underwent extensive training to become the Force Commander's Driver / Signaller as part of NATO's OP Kinetic in Kosovo (National Command Element) from 27 May - 27 Nov 1999. He was awarded the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal (CPSM) in Theatre by the then Governor General Adrienne Clarkson.

Later the next year in 2002, MCpl Whalen and his family were posted to the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (RC) at CFB Edmonton as part of the Signals Detachment there with the Armoured Unit there. Promoted to WSE Sgt in Sep 2002 he began more training for an impending tour with the Task Force Bosnia Herzegovina Infantry Battle Group as part of NATO's OP Palladium. He worked as the 2 IC's Signaller / Crew commander as well as CP Sgt.

Upon completion of Op Palladium, 04 Apr - 13 Jul 2003, Sgt Whalen was posted back to 1 CMBG Calgary, HQ and Sig Sqn as TAC Comm Sys Sect Comd and assisted on the impending move of the Regiment to CFB Edmonton.

On 14 Jul 2003, Sgt Whalen was posted to the 4th Canadian Division Training Centre, Land Forces Central Area, Meaford, Ontario. Sgt Whalen worked there as 2 I/C Signals Det and as the Unit storesman and Crypto custodian. He worked extensively on the loan and repair of communications equipment to various units for the Reserve Summer concentration there ensuring his staff taught various radio procedures when called upon to do so.

eCommunicator | 10 From the Regiment

In June 2006, he was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer and in July 2006, he was posted to 709 Communications Regiment (now 32 Signal Regiment Toronto) as the Operations Warrant Officer. WO Whalen was responsible for deploying to 29 Palms, California to help train the troops for their deployment to Afghanistan. H worked in the CP there to facilitate this extensive training and deployed RRBs to extend communications.

In Jul 2010, WO Whalen was posted to CFB Borden as part of the Technical Information Services and worked as the Operations Warrant, Det Commander and Training Co-Ordinator for civilian and military employees. On 06 Apr 2013 - 15 Dec 2014, WO Whalen was deployed to Kuwait as the Operations Warrant Officer as part of the Operational Support Hub South West Asia. He was directly responsible for flight line movements of troops coming in and out of Afghanistan and co-ordinating flights into Afghanistan for Canadian troops with our American allies when required. Upon completion of this tour, he was awarded the Special Service Medal with Expeditionary bar. WO Whalen was awarded a Base Commander's Commendation on 03 Jul 2012 in recognition of "exemplary actions taken during a serious vehicle accident by administering first aid and directing traffic thus ensuring the immediate safety of the general public." He also received A Commander's Commendation 1 (clasp) from the Shared Services Unit for his work as a Designated Assistant, assisting the Evans family in the co-ordination of funeral arrangements and administration for his good friend, Warrant Officer Frank Evans. WO Whalen continued to work with Technical services TIS and helped to co-ordinate communications and a Command post for three CFB Borden Air shows. He was responsible for helping co-ordinate several PD sessions for the annual Signals birthday celebrations.

On 11 Jul 2016 WO Whalen was cross posted to 32 Signal Regiment Det Borden as Operations Warrant. He was responsible for the co-ordination of various exercises, support taskings, ranges, rations and accommodations and special deployments such as the flood relief effort in Quebec. WO Whalen was course WO Officer on the DP1.0 course and instructed as a Driver Instructor / Examiner on various Driver Wheeled courses for the Unit. Warrant Whalen has been awarded his Canadian Forces Decoration and clasp 1.

Warrant Whalen has three grown children, Celina aged 24, Adam aged 29, and Glen aged 32. WO Whalen also has a grandson, Alexander who is 8 years old. Warrant Whalen is currently divorced. Warrant Whalen retired medically from the Military on 28 Mar 2019 and is currently battling pancreatic cancer. He is in remission and his prognosis looks excellent.

Regimental History in Preparation

The Regiment will celebrate its 110th Anniversary in the Fall of 2017. This celebration coincides with the 110th Anniversary of the founding of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals as well as the 150th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada. To commemorate this auspicious occasion, the Commanding Officer has commissioned a Regimental History book to record the stories of our people and the history of the lineage of the Regiment from our predecessor Units. This book will include stories of our exploits at war, keeping the peace and serving Canadians at home. This is time to tell our stories and preserve them for future generations.

We are looking for contributors and volunteers to help in information collection, with research or simply by telling your stories. Please contact LCol Jack Lee, CD (Ret’d) for offering your support or requesting more information about the project.

All submissions can be sent to this repository email address: [email protected]

eCommunicator | 11 From the Regiment Associates Dinner Toronto Ontario | December 15, 2018

eCommunicator | 12 From the Regiment Junior Ranks Formal Toronto Ontario | March 30, 2019 | by Cpl Bright, PMC

On Saturday March 30, 2019 the Junior Ranks Mess Committee hosted the 40th Anniversary Junior Ranks Formal with over 90 guests in attendance. The event was held at the Canadian Forces College Armour Heights Officers Mess. These formal events are integral to military life and serve a vital role in fostering morale, and spirit de corps among the regimental family. Current and retired members have the chance to get together, share stories, and strengthen the vital bond that keeps this regiment together.

The event was well received and it would not have been possible without the efforts of the planning committee and the support we received from key members in the regimental family. Thank you to the Vintage Signals Team for taking the time and effort to educate our guests about signals history.

This year’s formal was particularly special for the regiment. WO Whalen, one of the longest serving members of the regiment, was given his Depart with Dignity during the event. Although he was not able to join us physically, he was able to Skype in and join the regiment for the ceremony. The Junior Ranks sincerely wishes him well in all his future endeavours.

VPMC MCpl Nguyen was our photographer for the evening, if you would like to view the photos please see the link here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmCacLG6

Thank you again to every member that attended and made the event a great success. It would not be possible without you. As CWO Graham said, I look forward to hosting you in another 40 years!

Sincerely,

Junior Ranks Mess Committee Cpl Bright, President MCpl Nguyen, Vice President Cpl Vernon, Treasurer Cpl Opara, Secretary

eCommunicator | 13 From the Regiment Junior Ranks Formal

eCommunicator | 14 From the Regiment CAF National Women’s Volleyball Championship by 2Lt Michael Clement Duenas Cambare

This year I had the opportunity to participate in the Canadian Armed Forces National Women’s Volleyball Championship. I was selected to be on the CFB Kingston base team (Kingston Knights) as one of their pickup players.

The tournament was from April 13 until April 16. At Nationals there was a team representing each region. Ottawa represented the Quebec region, Greenwood represented the Atlantic region, Comox represented Canada West region and Kingston represented the Ontario Region.

The first day started off with opening ceremonies and team pictures. The first match of the day was us against Ottawa. We ended up winning the first set and Ottawa won the second set causing it to go to a third set. Ottawa was in the lead for the majority of the third set but we came back and won. It felt good winning our first game. I missed that feeling. Our second match that day was against Greenwood. They won the first set but we didn’t let up and won the second set. Unfortunately, we came up short in the third set and lost the match. At the end of the first day our score was 1-1.

The next day was the last day of pool play and the start of the playoff games. Our last pool play match was against Comox who I believed was our strongest competition. We won the first set but Comox beat us by winning the second and third set. After each match, there was a team MVP awarded for the game. For this match I was selected as the team’s MVP. I felt very proud when I was chosen because this was proof that I was actually helping the team. However, losing that game caused us to be ranked last in pool play. We were upset that we came in last in pool play but the tournament wasn’t over yet and we liked being known as the underdogs. Playoffs started later on that day. Games were now best three out of five with the first 4 sets going up to 25 points and the 5th set would go up to 15 points. Our first playoff game was against Greenwood in the quarters. We had previously lost to them and we were hungry for a win. We came out strong winning 3 sets in the row to win the match and knock them out of the tournament.

It was now the last day of the tournament. Our semi-final game was against Ottawa. Knowing that this game would determine who would play in the gold medal match we fought hard and won the first 2 sets. Ottawa fought back and took the 3rd set. We won the game by winning the 4th set. At this moment the whole team was proud of what we had accomplished. We went in to playoffs ranked last and now we were going to the finals and had a shot at winning the national title. The final was us versus Comox. Our team tried our best but unfortunately Comox managed to defeat us 3 sets straight. Even though we lost in the finals walking away with silver was still an achievement. This was my first volleyball nationals and the experience was amazing. I am so grateful to had been given this opportunity to play the sport I love. I am lucky to have been a part of this team and I hope I can compete next year and have another chance at the title.

eCommunicator | 15 From the Regiment CO’s Parade Fort York Armoury | May 21st 2019

eCommunicator | 16 From the Regiment Change of Beret Parade Fort York Armoury | June 15th 2019

eCommunicator | 17 From the Regiment Garrison Ball Fort York Armoury | June 15th 2019

eCommunicator | 18 From the Regiment New Unit Crest

Royal Canadian Logistics Service Branch

The Royal Canadian Logistics Service Branch Newsletters are available online: https://www.cfla-alfc.org/log-branch-advisor/

Canadian Forces Logistics Association http://www.cfla-alfc.org/

Logistics Branch Kit Shop http://www.canex.ca/military/military-kit-shops/logistics-branch.html

“SERVITIUM NULLI SECUNDUS”

The Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

The Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers http://rcemecorpsgemrc.ca/

eCommunicator | 19 Technology Topics ADS-B (1090) by WO Richard Lacroix, CD

In the last edition of Technology Corner I provided the readers with an introduction to Software-Defined Radio (SDR). In this edition’s column, we will explore Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) technology.

ADS-B

Automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast (ADS-B) is a technology in which an aircraft periodically broadcasts its position determined by using GPS navigation techniques thus enabling it to be tracked. The information can be received by air traffic control ground stations and by other aircraft.

Using an SDRplay SDR such as the RSP2 or RSPduo receiver, radio enthusiasts can now easily decode ADS-B, sometimes referred to SDRplay SDR Receiver as 1090, extended squitter data on a personal computer. Coupled with the Virtual Radar software suite, position data can be super-imposed over a map producing a real- time graphical display of air traffic within the geographical area and range of the receiving station.

Experimental Antennae

ADS-B operates at 1090 MHz. For my first test, I built a 1090 MHz vertical dipole antenna. This worked well, but my goal was to achieve greater range and hopefully receive military aircraft signals from the Trenton, Buffalo and Rochester areas. Obviously, this would require an antenna which would yield greater performance over that of my simple experimental dipole antenna. My choice was to build an experimental collinear coaxial antenna based on Dusan Balara’s article (https://www.balarad.net/). The collinear antenna will yield greater gain and thus allow for long range reception.

Lacking appropriate test equipment at the time of my first construction attempt Collinear Coaxial Antenna of an experimental collinear antenna, the entire project was purely build on theory and mathematical formulas. Now that I have test fixtures to validate the design — the antenna ended up being slightly to long. It resonates at 1029 MHz. This is most likely the results of using the wrong velocity of propagation factor for making the calculations based on the type of coaxial cable that I employed to fabricate the antenna. Not bad for a Antenna resonating at 1029 MHz first attempt based entirely on theory.

The wave length of the signal is: lambda = c/f where the velocity of the electromagnetic signal, in a vacuum, is c = 300,000 [millions meters per sec] and the frequency of the ADS-B signal is f = 1090 MHz.

The wave length, lambda, is thus 275 mm. The length (L) of the basic element is the half wave length reduced by the velocity factor of the coaxial cable.

eCommunicator | 20 RG-223/U Velocity of propagation: 66% L=0.5*275.2mm*0.66=90.8 mm

Antenna Element: 90.8 mm A qty of 4 in the collinear coaxial antenna will yield 3.5 dB of gain.

Feed Line

More important, what this has lead me to deduce is that even at 1 GHz, the type and length of coaxial feed line is much more critical than originally anticipated, no matter how short the length. I originally fed the RG-223/U Coaxial Cable Loss (25 to 2500 MHz) collinear antenna with 62 ft of RG-58/U coaxial cable. Total disappointment. My new outdoors collinear antenna performed poorly, actually, worst than my indoor experimental coaxial vertical dipole antenna, so, out came the test equipment again. It turns out that 62 ft of RG-58C/U coaxial cable has an approximate loss of ~ 10 dB at 1090 MHz.

The hunt for low loss, reasonable sized, coaxial cable begins. I installed RG-223/U which is a little bit better at ~ 7 dB loss for a 55 ft run and a usable operating frequency of 12.4 GHz. By this fall, I will most likely have replaced all my cables runs with the shortest possible lengths of RG-142/U which has a loss of ~ 6 dB at 1 GHz for a 50 ft run. Yes, even 1 dB makes a world of difference. Ideally, the ADS-B antenna should be wired with LDF2-50 or similar cable which has less than 2 dB of loss for a 50 ft run.

Test Environment:

Receiver: SDRplay model RSPduo.

ADS-B antenna: home built collinear coaxial antenna.

Test equipment: HP 8951A tracking spectrum analyzer and Tektronix Y400 NetTek Analyzer.

Virtual Radar with home built collinear coaxial ADS-B antenna (RG-223/U feed line).

About the author. Richard Lacroix has been a radio hobbyist since the mid 1970s and has been professionally active in both the commercial and military communication field since the mid 1980s.

eCommunicator | 21 Cadets 709 Signals Army Cadet Corps Commanding Officer's Year in Review Summary by Major Steven Morgan, CD

On behalf of the Cadets, Officers, Staff and Support Committee of the 709 Toronto Signals Army Cadet Corps, I am pleased to provide you with a brief overview of our 2018-2019 training year.

The Corps currently sits at 75 Cadets on parade as we head toward the end of the training year.

It has been a very busy training year for 709 and I am pleased to inform you that we will have completed all three mandatory FTXs and all pre-requisite training as laid out in the Cadet program.

1. Our Fall Bivouac FTX took place on September 28-30 at Tiffin Conservation Area, just west of Barrie. The Gold and Silver Stars, who are the senior cadets, focused on building improvised shelters, while the Green and Red Stars erected three-man tents and two-man hooches using shelter halves.

2. Our Spring Nav-Trek FTX took place on April 26-28 at Woodland Trails Scout Camp and focused on map and compass work as well as GPS and navigation. It was a little more like 'winter camping' as the cadets woke up to an inch of snow Saturday morning.

Our Adventure FTX will take place on May 24-26 at Everton Scout Camp, just outside of Acton. The Cadets will spend the weekend abseiling (rappelling) from natural walls (rock face). This year we are fortunate to have the Vintage Signals Team on site to demonstrate past forms of communication. We will also be having Phil A. McBride, Director for Ontario South, Radio Amateurs of/du Canada Training Officer, Canadian Forces Affiliate Radio System coming Saturday afternoon/evening to demonstrate amateur radio to the Cadets.

Below are some of the highlights of this year:

· On October 23, we supported RCL Branch 75 with their Poppy Campaign. · On Saturday, November 10, select Cadets took part in the Vintage Signals display at Casa Loma. · 80 Cadets and 6 Officers participated in the Prospect Cemetery Remembrance Day Sunrise ceremony on November 11 (08:00 am). · On Sunday, November 18, 10 Senior Cadets were invited to RCMI for a fourth year to chaperone the members’ children during the Santa Claus Parade. They received the rare privilege of enjoying a tour of the facility and sampling the fine food RCMI provides to their guests. · On Saturday December 8th the corps conducted their annual Range and Sports day at FYA. · On Wednesday, January 9, we kicked off the New Year with a fun night of bowling. · On January 26, we fielded two shooting teams for the Annual Tartan Shoot at the Moss Park Armoury. · On Friday, February 15, the Corps (65 cadets) travelled to Snow Valley Ski Resort in Barrie where they spent the morning snowshoeing and the afternoon snow tubing. Fun was had by all! · On February 23, we fielded two shooting teams for our Zone 11 shoot where the senior team placed 1st in our zone and the junior team took 3rd. Our first place team was given a wild card spot to compete in the regional championships where they came in 21st of 28 teams which is very good for our first time competing at this level. Well done!! · 709 Toronto Signals and 700 Squadron did a joint FTX to Fort Drum from 9-15 March with 100 Cadets and staff (of which 24 Cadets were from 709). The Cadets had a great time visiting the 10th Mountain Division and seeing the great displays they provided for us. They were even treated to a special visit by the Base Commander, MG Piatt, who will be assuming a new appointment in the Pentagon. · On Saturday, March 23, the Corps went to Borden for a CF Familiarization day. They visited the REME School and the Borden MP Detachment in the morning. After lunch in the Mess they visited the two on-base museums and tank museum. · On May 10, the Corps celebrated the Year End with a Mess Dinner held at RCL BR75 with 75 Cadets,

eCommunicator | 22 12 Officers/Staff and 23 Guests. HLCol Ken Lloyd was our guest speaker. · On Sunday June 2nd 55 Cadets and staff will be travelling to Stouffville Ontario to do some Tree Top Trekking.

Our Annual Ceremonial Review will take place on Monday, June 10th at FYA. HLCol. Ken Lloyd will be this year’s Reviewing Officer, and the Regimental Band will provide musical accompaniment for the event.

Although our training year will come to an end in June, many cadets will spend two to six weeks of their summer on training courses at Cadet Summer Training Centres in Blackdown and Connaught. Cadets will attend Drill & Ceremonial, Expedition, Marksmanship, Sports & Fitness, Air Rifle Instructor, and General Training courses from which they will return with many new skills and experiences. On a special note, MCpl Fisher has been selected to attend Whitehorse Yukon for a 6-week Expedition Instructor Course.

Finally, I would like to thank the Regiment and the Regimental family for all the support they have provided to the corps and to me throughout the years.

This is my last year as Commanding Officer of 709 Toronto Signals as I have served for 5 years which is two years longer than my three-year tenure. The incoming Commanding Officer will be Major Rangel-Bron. The Change of Command will take place after the Annual Ceremonial Review on June 10.

Please visit our website at www.709cadets.ca and our Facebook page to see what we have been up to, and the many pictures from our various activities.

Wishing you all a safe and wonderful summer!

Regards,

Major Steven Morgan, CD Commanding Officer 709 Toronto Signals Army Cadet Corps

eCommunicator | 23 Cadets 2250 The Muskoka Pioneers RCACC by Capt Laura Pepper, Commanding Officer, 2250 The Muskoka Pioneers RCACC

2250 The Muskoka Pioneers RCACC celebrates 25th Anniversary in 2019!

It’s been a whirlwind training year as we prepare for our 25th Annual Ceremonial Review and milestone anniversary celebration being held June 1st, 2019 at the Bracebridge Fairgrounds. This year has seen us send Cadets to the Provincial Orienteering competition as well as both the Provincial & National Biathlon competitions. A first for this unit!

Cadets from around Muskoka have had a very successful year despite the recent local flooding situation. It was “all hands-on deck” in early May as we spent a night filling sandbags to help our neighbours. Over 3,000 sandbags and 7 dump truck loads of sand! Our Cadets really understand what it means to support the communities that they live in!

We are looking forward to sharing our 25th Anniversary celebrations with past and present officers, staff, volunteers and of course all the Cadets, those young and not so young! For more information, contact us at 705-646-2025.

eCommunicator | 24 Cadets 142 Mimico Determination Squadron by Major Ric Rangel-Bron, CD, Commanding Officer 142 Air Cadet Squadron

I am quite proud of each of you, and thankful for your efforts in striving to be the very best Air Cadet that you can be! From weekly LHQ training, Field Training Exercises, Poppy sales for Branch 643, community service activities and your successes at Cadet Summer Training Centres, your continued hard work and dedication demonstrates that the Cadets of 142 Squadron are amongst the very best in the Canadian Cadet Organizations.

Our 76th year has also been filled with exciting activities and training – from gliding sessions, ice skating and geo-caching to bottle launching, and we have enjoyed learning together while having fun together.

Of course, as an organization we continue to grow and evolve. We continue to attract outstanding young women and men into the Air Cadet programme from all over south Etobicoke. Our affiliation with 32 Signal Regiment, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals, continues to grow stronger, as is evident in this morning's Regimental Change of Beret Parade. And, of course, aviation skills continue to be developed as the Air Cadet League and DND are looking at new training adventures for Air Cadets that include the possibility of 'drone flight training' in the future. Exciting opportunities indeed!

All of this comes down to one simple common denominator – the people who are dedicated to "doing good". This starts with you, our Cadets, who enjoy learning about aviation, leadership, good citizenship, community and environmental stewardship. We have the volunteers in the 142 Squadron Sponsoring Committee who do their best to support the Squadron. Of course, we also have the Civilian Volunteers, Civilian Instructors and Canadian Armed Forces Officers who are here to help you learn and understand the opportunities that are being made available to you. Lastly, we have your parents, many of whom have volunteered countless hours here at the Squadron to help bring about success for all. When you think of it, that's a whole lot of people "dedicated to doing good" over the last 76 years with 142 Squadron, and our community and nation are better for it. Thank you all!

I have been very fortunate to be part of 142 Squadron. From my arrival in 2012 as the Deputy Commanding Officer, until today as the outgoing Commanding Officer at our 76th Annual Ceremonial Review, I can honestly say that for me, this has been the most memorable posting of any of them. And this is down to you and all of those members of the 142 Squadron Family who I have had the pleasure to meet and work with over the years.

The "Family" bond is very strong here. You may not realize it now, in your youth, but you will in the years to come as you continue on to university, careers, marriage and possibly children of your own. The "Family" you have here today will stay with you, some simply in your memory, and others throughout your life through friendships or work life. One day, out of the blue, you may come across a "long lost member of the family", someone you lost touch with, but this chance meeting will, I hope, bring back fond memories of your youth and your time as one of Mimico's finest, an Air Cadet from 142 Squadron.

For me, it is time to move to the next posting, something different after all of these years of working with Air Cadets as I am moving to the "GREEN" world to take command of 709 Toronto Signals Royal Canadian Army Cadets. Fear not, I will remain "BLUE", and I am very pleased to say that I will continue

eCommunicator | 25 with the Signals "Family" as 709 is the affiliated Army Cadet Corps of 32 Signal Regiment, so I hope that our paths will continue to cross in the days to come.

Of course, I am comfortable to leave you now as you are in good hands with Captain Hind-Powell as your incoming Commanding Officer. You have outstanding leaders here for you in the staff – Captain Bilyk, Captain Singh, Second Lieutenant Bochenek, Officer Cadets Norwood, Pannerselvam and Reimer, Civilian Instructor Valentine, Civilian Volunteers Arrubla and Kiernicki. You also have a new SSC, one that is dedicated to supporting the Squadron in the coming years. Of course, our very good friends at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 643 will always be here to sponsor and support you. And finally, 32 Signal Regiment and the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals have joined our family as we have joined theirs. This is a bond that can only make both of our organizations stronger in the years to come.

R e m e m b e r tomorrow the "Family" ties that you enjoy t o d a y a s a member of 142 Squadron. Continue to "do good", for yourself, your family and your community.

I thank you for all of the great memories and wish you every success in your future!

Per Ardua Ad Astra

eCommunicator | 26 Associations Jimmy and Associates by Major Hal Buller, CD (Ret’d)

Jimmy and Associates’ Annual General Meeting took place at 32 Signals WO and Sgt’s Mess on April 28 with approximately 25 members attending.

An important item on the agenda was establishing the annual BBQ. Again the BBQ will be held at Lou Lombardi’s beautiful farm on Saturday July 13. More information is available at the 32 Signal Regiment website (http://torontosignals.ca/).

To maintain the Associates and our costs we remind the membership to pay their dues for the year. The dues are $20 per year and are payable January 1.

Sunshine List: LCol Gary Knopf has been hospitalized for the last 6 months at the Bridgepoint Hospital at Broadview and Gerrard Streets. If you are in the vicinity please drop in on Gary. He will be pleased to have visitors.

Another item on the agenda was the election of the executive committee. By unanimous decision last year’s executive was voted in again by acclamation.

President: Major Hal Buller (Ret’d) VP: LCol Jack Lee (Ret’d) Secretary: WO Steve Cheney (Ret’d) Treasurer: Sgt David Spessot Membership: Capt Rose Kelly (Ret’d) Immediate Past Pres: Mr. David Douglas

eCommunicator | 27 Vintage Signals Team SIGNALS IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR by Kenneth Lloyd, CD. M.A.

“Flag wagging…dot dash, or Umty-iddy-umty as it was generally called. This sort of life appealed to me and I lost no time in transferring to the signal section.” William Ogilvie wrote about his experiences at Barriefield Camp near Kingston in Ontario during 1916. William Ogilvie came straight from high school in Lakefield. “I was amazed at the cursing, the extravagant use of four-letter words seldom heard in our quiet village.” William soon graduated in France where, “the succulent phraseology used by some of the mule skinners driving their stubborn charges to water could be heard above the sound of distant shelling. Later, when I had to drive a mule of my own to water, I didn’t fall far behind in my fluency.” (“Umty-Iddy -Umty” The story of a Canadian Signaler in the First World War. Willam G. Ogilvie.)

William was a young Canadian boy transitioning into an adult and a Signaler during the First World War. He began by learning the languages of both his peers and of military communications.

In 1914, the communication system developed for war on the Veldt of South Africa was still in use in the Imperial trenches of Flanders. There were developments with radio particularly in the Navy but the Germans and French armies were familiar with the industry of war and the development of signals listening stations and cipher systems. After the Battle of the Somme the Imperial Army Staff discovered the effectiveness of German listening devices and set in place talented persons and processes to counter this threat and protect their communications.

The military world of messages may be divided by the technology available. Telegraph with some telephone wire connection were the main long-range messaging systems. Short range messaging used Visual signals such as Heliograph, flags, Semaphore flags, lamps and couriers, including pigeons and dogs.

A plan was designed in 1912 to limit and monitor German communications. The telegraph network was the principal communication system for governments and nations across the world. On 5th August 1914, the British Cable Ship “Alert” began dredging and cutting the 5 German undersea telegraph cables from Emden to Vigo; from Tenerife to the USA and the Azores. The German plan of using the new radio transmitters to support its international communication network also suffered a setback when the Royal Navy began destroying the German international transmitters in Africa, the Cameroons and in the Pacific. Within two months, if Germany wished to contact the World, she would have to use neutral countries whose telegraph cables passed through the London telegraph office. (The Codebreakers, Wylie and McKinley). In 1914 the war began with London having access to Germany’s international telegraph messages. Ultimately, this resulted in the interception of the Zimmerman telegram which helped to bring America into the war.

There was a further limitation for the German Army as they advanced in France and Belgium. The French and Belgian authorities destroyed the domestic telegraph and telephone network. The German army would have to replace the wires or implement wireless for passing messages.

Wireless also known as radio, was still in its infancy. It had been tried in the South African War but was heavy, fragile and had a limited range on land. Radio waves travel well over water and a heavy radio is easily carried in a ship. The Royal Navy worked closely with Marconi and contracts were signed for interception equipment and the building of 13 Naval wireless stations with 5,000 Marconi operators serving in the Navy. The increasing use of radio and wireless telegraphy added new codes to the languages needed for Signals. In 1914, the German Navy used the “Signal buch der Kaiserlichen Marine” using 3,000 three letter codes for flags, lamps, semaphore and later radio. The U-boats used “Handelsschiffl Verkebrebubuch” using 4 letter codes. With the use of wireless expanding on land as well as the sea, Marconi, who had been working on Direction Finding radio waves since 1905, was ready to set up direction finding stations on the Western front. Marconi’s personal assistant, Captain Henry Round who had been posted to the RNVR in Antwerp, now set up a chain of direction-finding stations. Code breaking increased in importance with Room 40 in London introducing a 24 hour shift system. The French Bureau de Chiffre was capable of breaking a new German codes within 3 weeks. (Code Breakers, 2015)

eCommunicator | 28 Vintage Signals Team During the attack on the Marne in September, the German signalers were unable to keep up with the volume of wireless traffic and began to send their messages without encryption. Over the next two months the new intercept stations provided information for the Battle of the Marne and identified 6 German attacks aimed to cut off the British Expeditionary Force from the Coast. (Code Breakers, 2015)

The Telegraph

The Imperial Army communication system on the Western Front used a layered transition of technology and security. At the Army level, messages could be received from London by the telegraph or through the domestic telephone network. The messages could be in Morse code, cipher or plain speech. Messages by dispatch would be hand carried.

The Telegraph system of wires stretched across the World by overland poles and undersea cables. Where the telegraph poles ended in remote areas such as the veldt of South Africa, the message could be transmitted by Heliograph stations using mirrors flashing the sunlight in Morse code to remote receivers. During the Siege of Ladysmith in the South African war a message could be sent from London, England and be received in besieged Ladysmith in only four days. William Ogilvie would begin 13 weeks of training to think, speak and become fluent in the language of Morse code.

From the Army Headquarters in France to the Corps and closer to the Front, the Divisional headquarters, the domestic telephone network was used with telegraph where it existed and the dispatch service provided by the Signal Service.

The Dispatch service

The dispatch service could use a variety of means. Dispatch by Horse was recommended for up to 6 miles, 8 miles for a bicycle and 20 miles for a motor cycle. Mounted dispatch riders were thought better for wet and muddy weather or conveying messages across country during an engagement. The expectation was that the riders “should be able to ride their horses over open ditches 7-10 feet and their horses should be trained to leave other horses without delay” (Signaling, 1916)

The handbook published in the Imperial Amy Series “Signaling” added that dispatches carried by motor cyclists are unreliable when the roads are greasy... If they have to go to a headquarters which is in possible view of the enemy, they should leave their machines under cover and walk the last part of the way. Cyclists can often be used when roads are too bad for motor cyclists. They should be carefully trained in the care of their machines. A number of machines have been broken by horses. Cyclists should therefore be taught to park their machines where horses are unlikely to be taken.”

When briefing the dispatch carrier, the Signalling handbook recommended that “…all concerned must be imbued with the idea that a message has to get through…even at serious risk to themselves.” (Signalling, 1916)

Line

At the Divisional Headquarters, a Signal Company provided telegraph and telephone, with a telephone exchange which by 1917 was operated by the Women’s Auxiliary service. In 1918 as the Canadian Army advanced during the 100 days campaign, the German army would often leave their trench wires intact with the hope that their enemies would use them and they could intercept their conversations. (50th Bn in No Man’s Land, 1970)

At the Brigade Headquarters, a Signal Section would make use of such telegraph and telephone infrastructure as may exist and supplement by laying line to the lower headquarters. The distances usually were three miles to the battalions (Signals) but needed circuitous routes to avoid shellfire. The primary types of line were:

eCommunicator | 29 Vintage Signals Team D1 with 7 steel strands of wire wrapped in tape and covered in black braid. The cable weighed 22 lbs for each mile of cable.

D3 with 12 steel strands of wire covered in rubber and then a layer of red braid. The cable weighed 40 lbs for each mile of cable.

D5 with 19 steel strands of wire covered in rubber and then bound in black braid. The cable weighed 80 lbs for each mile of cable.

Initially, line was laid along the ground or suspended on poles above the ground. As the war moved into trench warfare, line was buried 6 feet deep and then in a “ladder pattern” with several parallel lines and transverse lines connecting across the parallel lines. In this layout, communication could continue despite multiple breaks.

Telephone

Our young Signaler, William Ogilvie, when he was not pulling a mule in the ammunition column, would have taken his turn as a telephone operator in the Regimental headquarters. In 1916 the telephone may have been the “Portable D”, originally intended for voice but reissued as the Mark III telephone with a Morse key, for clearer and speedier messaging rather than using voice. In any formalized process if a message is sent, a form will need to be filled in. William would open a “Messages and Signals” “A” Form. (Army Form C.2121) and adopt the internal Signals language for dealing with messages.

Messages are given precedence based on the table below. If the message in code or cipher it could only be sent by a signals officer: Messages delivered at Messages transmitted from Class Receiving station receiving station When calculating the time for the message, William uses a DS DX Urgent Signal letter clock. The purpose is to SA XA Urgent Railway save time in spelling out or sending the code time in SB XB OHMS Priority figures by Morse code. e.g: SG XG Signal Service message The letter A denotes 1 o’clock and sequentially the letter M SM XM OHMS not Priority would be 12 o’clock. The S X Private Message minutes between all the numerals are denoted as SRP XRP Reply paid message “RSWX”. Therefore 10 SP XP Press minutes past 1 would be A for 1 o’clock and B for the digit 2 indicating 10 minutes past or AB. If it were 12 minutes past 1 it would be AB and S for the second minute past the letter B or ABS. This method of sending the time was used because letters can be sent more quickly than numbers by Morse code.

To send the message, William presses the vibrator on the phone or he could send his call sign repeated 3 times. He receives an answer and says he has a message, naming the person and unit. The receiver says “go on” or sends his call sign with G. William might check by sending KQ (are you ready).

William reads or keys out the message 3-4 words at a time, while the receiver repeats back and copies down each word. All capitalized words are spelt out such as b is “beer”, p is “pip”, t is “toc” and the numbers are grouped such as 10066 “Figures: one, double o, double 6.” On completion of the message William says “message ends” and the receiver reads back the complete message. If William was satisfied he would say “Correct” and “Good bye”. (Signaling 1916)

At the Brigade, Regimental, Battalion and Company headquarters, telephones were not always available and communications relied heavily on visual signaling and orderlies, known as runners.

eCommunicator | 30 Vintage Signals Team In the 1916 Signaling manual the Telephone guidance reiterated that “operators …owing to the danger of German spies tapping the lines, speaking on the telephone should not usually be permitted.” On the 23 July 1916 a memo from the General Staff noted that there was clear evidence that a “German system of overhearing” was being extensively used and that “it must be assumed that the enemy has listening apparatus.” In fact, when the German stronghold of Ovillers la Boisselle was captured during the Battle of the Somme, a copy of the orders for the British Corps who had been attacking Ovillers la Boisselle had been left behind by the German troops.

In October, a further staff memo on “The indiscreet use of the telephone” ordered an end to unnecessary gossip, the introduction of silent hours and the warning of severe punishment if caught. (Code Breakers, 2015). Early in the war the Germans had deployed the “Moritz” a device for picking up the electrical emissions from the British phones which were earthed with a metal spike into the ground. The Moritz was capable of picking up the emissions and converting them into recognizable voice or Morse code. As Fritz Ibrugger, a Moritz operator wrote in the American Legion Monthly magazine in 1937, “The Frenchies seem to have a lot to say today. One is quite clearly to be heard and I hastily write down the code ticks lest I miss one. Suddenly, comes the call sign of another French telegraph…Sgt Bautlin is at my side like a shot and we both write like mad. High pitched attention- I listen to the higher (pitched) tone buzz, Bautlin to the lower…” (American Legion, 1937)

Major R.E. Priestly author of the Royal Signals History of the Signal Service wrote “the question of enemy overhearing had arisen in the summer of 1915. “Attacks were met with hostile fire, exactly directed and timed to the minute”. This was happening too often to be mere coincidence. All the indications suggested that the leakage of information was …connected to the extension of the telephone to the front line trenches.” The Moritz had a range of 3,000 yards. Ferdinand Tuohy crawled to the German trenches and began listening to their conversations to copy down the language the Germans used for target identification. Later, the French developed a device similar to the Moritz, which the British copied and called it ITOC with a range of 500 yards. Very soon Tuohy had a library of German and British conversations from his listening posts. The information leaks could now be tracked and by the end of 1917, Tuohy had an interception system that left both the Allied and German troops feeling they were being spied on. (Code Breakers, 2015). The telephone did not become a secure communication device until the Fuller phone in 1917.

Visual signalling

At the Brigade, Regimental and below, the visual signaling remained an important part of communication through to 1918. Even with the move from defence to the attack in 1918 with the use of radio in rapidly moving vehicles, visual signals were still in use where radios could not be carried and where line could not be laid quickly enough.

The Signaling Manual of 1915 writes that “Visual signaling is often invaluable but must be concealed from the enemy. It is no use attempting to use it except with expert intelligent and experienced signalers, no others can get messages through…blue flag Morse and semaphore read through a telescope and the heliograph are by far the most important methods.” (Signalling 1915)

The manual advises that message must be rapid, reliable and accurate. The factors impacting on the message are:

“Length of message, distance it has to go, necessity for and the possibility of concealment.” The suggested guidelines are “240 words message over 3 miles are quicker by cyclist than by signal at 8 words a minute.” For the Heliograph, the manual suggests 70 miles in Africa and 25 miles in Europe.” (Signaling 1915)

What was an expert Signaler such as William Ogilvie expected to be able to communicate?

Our Signaler, William Ogilvie would have learned his new alphabets, with Morse code at 4-5 letters a day, repeating the word ‘iddy’ to represent the dot and ‘umty’ to represent the dash. Once he had memorized

eCommunicator | 31 Vintage Signals Team the new alphabet and the meter of the code he would be tested by sending a message containing 100 letters in 5 minutes: “XM ABPM BT Twenty CMDG No 2 CADET UNIT ASH (BREAK) A 9 sixth B 2 AAA will inspect the unit next Tuesday afternoon (break sign) CMDT BATH 3 PM VE”

In Semaphore William would have started with the first circle and be expected to pass a test being able be able to read 10 words a minute and read 4 words a minute.

In Morse flags drill, William would be measured at 6 words a minute, the second week, 10 words a minute and then 15 words a minute. The final test message by flag would be 150 letters; “These morbid hallucinations are much more often durable and much more often repeated. Moreover, we recommend this point to those who regard vertical hallucinations as merely wrong.” The aim was to have the flags read at 5-6 miles.

When tested on the buzzer phone or on the signal lamp William would use the phonetic alphabet when spelling out the words. Such phonetics were Ack for A; Beer for B; Don for D; Emma for E; Pip for P; Esses for S; Toc for T; and Vic for V. For the buzzer phone, William’s standard would be expected to be 8 words a minute. For the signal lamp the standard was 6 words a minute.

Signals have their own protocol and abbreviations language which would become a part of the day to day jargon for William Ogilvie. More than Morse code; Semaphore, and phonetic alphabets he became familiar with “authorized abbreviations, the internal language of the Signals Service. This was the language of the proformas’ and the senders and receivers of messages. Even today, some of these short forms are still in use by Amateur Band Radio operators. e.g:

Acknowledgement RD Say when ready KQ All stations CQ Time check TI Sending AAA Cipher CC Block capitals Z

Also to be learned by our new Signaler were the station callings. An Army administration follows set patterns for naming and identifying. Such procedures form a jargon and the nouns for efficient and speedy transmission of messages. They are an administrator’s directory and a code breakers delight.

In 1916 Station Calls Index Letter. Distinguishing numbers were converted into a letter. e.g: Cavalry Corps becomes “A” for cavalry and the 1st also become “A” because No 1 is the first letter. The 1st Cavalry Corps call sign is “AA”. e.g: The 35th Siege Battery. The Siege battery identifier is “O”, 3 is the third letter in the alphabet “C” and 5 is the 5th letter, “E”. The call sign for the 35th Siege Battery would be OCE.

Ciphers

Ciphers became part of communications on the Western Front. The most popular cipher used by the Imperial Armies as well as the Americans and the Germans in WWI (with a second square added) was the Playfair cipher. It could be broken but was extensively used as a short term, low level cipher much like the German ADFGX code in March 1918. Both systems are based on the Greek Polybius square.

The Playfair cipher used a keyword, in this example from the Signaling Manual 1916.

Keyword COMMANDANT Cross out any duplicate letters. COM_ AND__ T Write the letters of the alphabet underneath, (I and J are counted as the same)

eCommunicator | 32 Vintage Signals Team COM_AND__ T BEF_ GHI__ K LPQ_ RSU__ V WXY_Z

C B L W O Make a 5 space square Start along the top of the box filling in the spaces from the top E P X M F left to right Q Y A G R Write the letters going down the list Z N H S D Encipher the message into pairs of letters; add an X if an extra I U T K V letter is needed.

“I am urgently in need of help” Ia mu rg en tl yi nx ne ed of he lp

(the x is added to prevent two identical letters being next to each other.) The letters may be found inside the box and form a small rectangle.

“I” and “A” form a small oblong box inside the main box.

On the opposite corners of this box are the letters “T” and “Q”

These are your cipher letters for I and A, and would be ciphered as TQ.

The message would cipher as TQ PK QR PZ LX QU HP ZP FZ ZX BX

This is then placed into 5 letter words TQPKQ RPZLX QUHPZ PFZFR ZXBX

The message is ready to be sent. A D F G V X The German Cipher ADFGVX was a mix of substitution and transposition techniques. A b p 3 d l n D l t 4 0 a h Fill a 5x6 grid with random letters. Identify the letters of the message by the row and the column. F 7 k b c 5 z G j U 6 W g m e.g: V x S V I R 2 a t t a c k a t 1 0 p m X g e Y q F g DV DD DD DV FG FD DV DD AV DG AD GX

This is a mono alphabetic substitution cipher. This could then be complicated by creating a code word and changing to a transposition cipher. The cipher text is placed in columns under the code word and the code word is then rearranged into alphabetic order.

M A R K A K M R The text to be sent in Morse code would be written in a straight line. VDGVVDDVDDGXDDFDAADDFDXG D V D D V D D D D D D V D V D D This example is from Simon Singh’s book “The Code Book” and he includes a story of how in June 1918 the F G F D G D F F German Army were 100km from Paris. A French D D D D V D D D codebreaker, Georges Painvin, cracked an ADFGVX message on 2 June. “rush munitions even by day if not A V X G V G A X seen” the message was sent between Montdidier and A D G X D X A G Compiegne, 80 km north of Paris. Ariel reconnaissance

eCommunicator | 33 Vintage Signals Team confirmed the enemy’s build up. The French Line was reinforced and one week later the German attack failed. (The Code Book, Singh)

Conclusion

The language of Signals in the First World War covers more than our journey on the Western Front with Signaler William Ogilvie. His new language skills included Morse code; Semaphore; phonetic alphabets and simple ciphers such as Playfair. Signalers used any means available to get their message back. Whether it was pigeons or radios, Flags or telephones, their language was Morse code and Semaphore, Playfair cipher and ADFGX, scattered with protocols and abbreviations. To the experience of Signalers like William Ogilvie can be added the words of Victor Wheeler, a company Signaler with the 50th Battalion who sums up the ethos and pure determination of Signalers to get the message through:

“We signalers were always prepared to maintain telegraphic or visual communication with Battalion or Brigade Signal headquarters during attacks or open warfare. In addition to the fighting infantryman’s loaded rifle, fixed bayonet; 250 rounds of .303 ammunition and several Mills bombs…today we strapped around our hips two heavy half mile spools of D2 twine each weighing 26 pounds, plus Lucas lamps, Don Mark III telephones, power buzzers and amplifiers, Fuller phones, flags and binoculars. We were prepared to use whatever might be the most advantageous mode of signaling in any governing situation.” (p.232, The 50th Battalion in No Man’s Land, Wheeler)

Kenneth Lloyd 30 Aug 2018

Bibliography

“Umty-Iddy-Umty” The story of a Canadian Signaller in the First World War. Willam G. Ogilvie The Boston Mills Press. 1982.

“Code Breakers,” The secret Intelligence Unit that changed the course of the First World War. James Wyllie and Michael McKinley. EBury Press, 2015.

“SIGNALLING. Morse, Semaphore, Station Work, Despatch Riding, Telephone Cables, Map Reading” Written by an Officer of the Regular army and edited by Captain E. J. Solano. John Murray, Albemarle St W1, 1916.

“Beyond No Man’s Land” The American Legion Monthly. March 1937.

“The Signal Service in the European War 1914-1918,” Maj R.E. Priestly, 1921. Referred to in “Code Breakers”, 2015.

“The 50th Battalion in No Man’s Land”, Victor W. Wheeler, 1970 CEF Books.

“The Code Book” Simon Singh, 2000, Anchor Books.

eCommunicator | 34 Last Post

Colonel David Lloyd Hart, MM, CD Harvie C. Partridge

The Communications Friday, May 17th, Harvie and Electronics Branch C. Partridge passed away and the Royal Canadian in Chatham, Ontario after Corps of Signals is a lengthy illness. He was deeply saddened to in his 88th year. He spent note the passing of most of his adult life in Honorary Colonel David marching bands, including Lloyd Hart, MM, CD, 2nd Div Sigs Trumpet RCCS. David passed Band as a 2nd soprano in away on Wednesday, 1955 and finishing up as 27 March 2019 at the Manager of Canada's Jewish General Hospital Marching Ambassadors in in Montreal, Quebec 1969. surrounded by his family.

HCol Hart enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1936 and achieved the rank John Broome of LCorporal. He deployed overseas in 1940, serving in England and France during the Second It is with sadness to report World War. Among other honours, he was the passing of Alumni awarded the Military Medal (MM) by His Majesty Member John (Jack) Ross King George VI at Buckingham Palace – a bravery Broome. John passed away decoration for enlisted men and second only to the May 17, 2019 at the age of Victoria Cross – for gallantry during the Dieppe 85. He was a proud Raid in 1942. bandsman who wore the Scarlets for many years for the Toronto Signals Band. We will miss his honour. LCol Bill Gunson (Ret’d), CD

Gunson, William "Bill!" Ernest passed away peacefully at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Barrie Ontario on April 4, 2019 at Captain Brian Hillyer (Ret’d) the age of 76. He was loving husband of the late Diana Brian Hillyer was (2017) for 53 years. He was commissioned in 1973 and born January 23, 1943 in served over 7 years in the Lancaster England and met Canadian Military with 709 the love of his life Diana in (Toronto) Signal Regiment, 1962. which led to his interest in computers, which he pursued Bill served in the Royal Air Force in various parts for several years until a bout of England as well as a lengthy posting in Hong with cancer limited his Kong. In 1974 Bill and Diana along with their two mobility. Brian spent about sons immigrated to Canada and soon after began 14 years acting as chauffeur to residents of their new lives in Alliston, Ontario. Widdicombe Place, and he thrived on the interaction with his customers, whom he He was the Commanding Officer of 705 (Borden) considered friends. Brian was a Mason for over 20 Communication Squadron and 709 (Toronto) years and was especially proud of fund raising for Communication Regiment (1989-1990). various charitable organizations.

eCommunicator | 35 Last Post Letters to the Editor

Edward David Robinson, CD Recognition – Sgt. Mardirossian During the ILP 0038 at the Chief Warrant Officer Robert Osside Edward David Profession of Arms Institute, Sgt Mardirossian was awarded Robinson, the Canadian War Museum trophy. This trophy is awarded to affectionately known the best essay during the distance learning portion of the Intermediate leadership program. Sevan has represented your as “Eddie”, passed organisation extremely well and you should be proud. I away peacefully on attached a photo taken at the graduation ceremony. May 27, 2019, in his 83rd year. He was Sgt. Mardirossian’s article was published in the previous issue of the eComnmunicator. Congratulations. BZ. born on March 7, 1936. The Editor

Eddie was a proud To the Editor, all involved in publishing and 'LCol Jack'; Canadian. He served as a Cadet with the Thank you for the Fall Issue of eCommunicator. My Royal Canadian Air compliments to the Editor and all involved in publishing....this Force, as well as with is an excellent regimental news publication. the Royal Canadian Thank you, again. Navy Reserve stationed at HMCS John Cook York where he supported many relief efforts including Hurricane Thanks, Jack; Hazel. He took great pride as the longest serving member of the 32 Signal Regiment’s Toronto A great edition, lots of news and views. Signals Band, as a snare drummer, since 1956. Happy New Year to all of the Lees.

Cheers

Nigel Van Loan Yolande Spiteri

Yolande Spiteri wife of the predeceased of MWO Jack, John Spiteri (Ret’d) CD. Excellent work! In the 115 years that Signals has been in Yolande died peacefully Canada I doubt there has been a more professional magazine/ on June 21, 2019 at the newsletter published at a unit level. All who are instrumental in young age of 92. The putting together this wonderful publication should be very proud of what they have accomplished. Spiteri's were long time members of Jimmy and May you enjoy good health in 2019. Associates. Warmest regards,

We will miss Yolande's Joe Plut warm smile.

We will remember them.

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